Did Sheffield killer Kate Dover mean to poison her sweetheart?

Did the "Queen of Heeley" really mean to poison her employer and sweetheart? That's the question a group of artists are exploring with a new exhibition about the life of Sheffield killer Kate Dover. The former art student and sweet shop manager was convicted of manslaughter in 1882 after facing trial for murder. In her late 20s, Dover killed 61-year-old businessman Thomas Skinner by cooking him a roast dinner with arsenic in the stuffing. He was described as her "sweetheart", whom she had become a housekeeper for two years before killing him. Amanda Pearce, who took part in creating the exhibition, said: "Thomas became very ill suddenly and collapsed, at which point Kate panicked completely, and sent the maid out to call the doctor. "She obviously wasn't overly happy with what was happening…and she claimed she didn't feel well herself. Eight grains of arsenic were found in Skinner's food when only one would have been enough to kill him, Pearce said. In the 19th Century, arsenic was more readily available than it would be today, and could be bought from chemist's shops as rat poison. "She really wanted to do a number on him," she added. Dover's barrister successfully convinced the j